If you are a reader of many popular nonprofit marketing blogs, you’ll soon find that several common themes emerge. The reason? Because these are the issues that are most common for nonprofit organizations. Communications and marketing, especially for fundraising purposes, is so vitally important and also difficult. If it were easier, everyone would be doing it so much better! People like me who work in this field hear the same challenges and issues from so many organizations - it’s hard, we don’t have the resources, people don’t seem to be responding to our message, there’s too much competition, and so on.

This is all true, and it will always be true. Yet there are many organizations that sustain themselves, and even thrive, while facing these same challenges. What is the answer?

In my view, it comes down to one simple answer - they know who they are! The minute you start to stretch your organization to fit the criteria of a new grant, or tweak your message to appeal to a new group that’s beyond your usual audience, is the moment you start to dilute your image, and therefore weaken it. All the money and time in the world will not improve the results for your organization if you do not start off with a clear image and goal in mind. This is why the smallest and most grassroots driven organization can succeed above others, without the bells and whistles, if it has a clear goal and message. 

I’ll let you in on a little personal secret. When I’m working on a project for a nonprofit, I look for the secret ingredient that makes its flavour unique. I read all of the material, like annual reports, newsletters, fundraising applications and appeals and the like. But most of the time, that’s not where I find it. These have often been added to and convoluted over time, that they rarely reflect what the organization is actually doing today.  To get the true sense of the organization, I talk to the volunteers and donors to find out what motivates them to give their time and money above all of the other options out there. And I talk to someone who has benefitted as a result.

So the next time you are stumped by writing a message or just feel discouraged, get out of your office and get back to the very basics of what makes your organization tick day after day.